Hawks, Lions scrap to finish

Hawks, Lions scrap to finish

Randy Metcalf/The Explorer, Ironwood Ridge and Mountain View high school girls' soccer players converge on the ball early into the second half of their regional title game Friday night. The match went through double-overtime and into penalty kicks, where the Nighthawks picked up a 3-2 win.

Hawks, Lions scrap to finish

Randy Metcalf/The Explorer, Nighthawk Camie Barbera, right, and Lion Grace Suciu attempt to gain control of the ball during the first half Friday night.

Hawks, Lions scrap to finish

Randy Metcalf/The Explorer, Ironwood Ridge High School goalkeeper Brooke Seavitt is lifted up by teammates after the team defeated Mountain View High School during an overtime penalty-kick decision.

The Ironwood Ridge girls soccer team may have
just won a tough battle, but may end up losing the war.

In a thrilling double-overtime, penalty-kick
decision, the Nighthawks defeated the Mountain View Mountain Lions
3-2 on Friday. The win gave the Nighthawks (4-0, 16-3-1) the 5A
Southern Region championship over the visiting Mountain Lions (4-1,
14-4-1).

"We've won the conference championship two
years in a row," said Ridge coach Sean Watkins. "But they will
still have more power points than us."

Penalty kicks decided it after the second
overtime. The Nighthawks didn't miss, scoring on all four of
theirs, with Michelle Busse, Kaitlyn Lopez, Liz Fritz and Elise
Reader all finding the net. Adriana Ortiz was the only Mountain
Lion to score against goalkeeper Brooke Seavitt.

"Liz Fritz stepped up in the shootout and made
the first kick," Watkins said, "after she missed the penalty kick
earlier." On that opportunity, Fritz missed a free kick over the
bar.

"We expected them to come in hard," Fritz
said. "I wanted to win in regulation. We got a lot of
opportunities."

This was certainly like a heavyweight battle
that could've been won by either team at any point.

"It could've been a state championship," said
Mountain View coach Rick Ellis. "A good effort for both teams. We
didn't execute on the first goal of overtime, but I'm glad about
how our players fought back."

The Nighthawks looked ready to celebrate with
a 1-0 lead and less than six minutes to go, before the Mountain
Lions' Justene Kesterson nailed a shot with an assist from Ortiz to
tie it at 1-1 with 5:31 left.

"It was the best game," said Ortiz, who was
limping afterwards. "Our team played their hearts out."

The Nighthawks had scored the game's first
goal on a header by Claire Buser in the 30th minute. She was set up
on a good pass from Camie Barbera.

In the overtime, the Mountain Lions took a 2-1
lead in the 82nd minute when Ortiz scored on an assist from
Kesterson. With the first of two 10-minute overtimes ready to
expire in four seconds, Michelle Busse tied it again. Barbera
assisted on the goal.

Earlier in regulation, Busse had a breakaway
opportunity, needing only to beat goalkeeper Christine Posvistak,
but Posvistak made the save.

"We had our chances, but one team has to win,"
Ortiz said. "Unfortunately, it wasn't our night."

Watkins admitted that the game probably
should've ended in a tie.

"They were fantastic," Watkins said. "It was a
battle. When I met the girls, I told them it was a fair situation.
Penalty kicks were probably the way to decide it."